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Remembering how creating “The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience” created a Breakthrough Brand. From the Market we Served, to the Products we created to the Experiences we delivered, to the programs we launched, to the commercials and FUN we had.

SCOTTSDALEARIZ. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

Cold Stone Creamery is raising the competitive temperature with the launch of its first national integrated campaign since the chain was founded in 1988, following moves by rivals Baskin-Robbins and Dairy Queen to increase their market shares as the peak ice-cream-eating season begins. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

The “Love It Love It” campaign for 1,400-unit Cold Stone Creamery includes three TV spots, a microsite bearing the name of the campaign theme, and online, radio and print advertising. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

The $10 million campaign targets the “true, unapologetic ice cream lover who will go extra miles for the ultimate ice cream experience,” said Kevin Myers, Cold Stone’s vice president of sales and marketing. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

In the past, the chain, which is known for premium-priced ice cream treats that are customized with mixed-in confections, relied on word-of-mouth and public relations at the local level. But a national marketing plan was needed now because “as we grow, some people don’t know about us,” Myers said. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

Because consumers certainly know about Baskin-Robbins and Dairy Queen and about such regional chains as MaggieMoo’s, Friendly’s Ice Cream and Marble Slab Creamery, Cold Stone Creamery is under pressure to “make sure everyone knows the difference” between its brand and the others, Myers said. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, and the major ice cream chains are trying to differentiate themselves from competitors to snag a larger share of those sales. Cold Stone’s share in 2006 was nearly $500 million. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

Baskin-Robbins recently broke its first TV campaign in two years to reinvigorate the 61-year-old brand and position itself as a marketer of innovative, premium ice cream products, said Scott Colwell, B-R’s vice president of marketing. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

Dairy Queen has taken the new-product route to achieve higher sales by introducing baked waffle bowls and cones and supporting the launch with national TV spots and an online contest. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

But Cold Stone, which recently merged with multiconcept franchisor Kahala Corp., is banking on its campaign to position itself as “an oasis, a place where true love of ice cream can exist,” Myers said. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

Each of the three TV spots, created by Saatchi & Saatchi of New York, uses humor and drama in setting up obstacles in the form of arch-nemeses to test customers’ desire for Cold Stone treats. In “Kid,” a boy approaches a Cold Stone Creamery. He stands apprehensively at the front door, studying the arch-nemeses that await him. A voice-over says: “Inside he sees the bogeyman, the monster in his closet, the monster under his bed, and broccoli. Will the insatiable draw of Birthday Cake Remix give him the strength to open the door?” —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

The spot then cuts to a product shot and a title card that says, “Do you love it?” and then quickly to another: “Or do you love it love it?” —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

A second spot features Bigfoot having to get past a hunter, a “Sasquatch enthusiast” and a Brazilian-bikini waxer. “Heiress” features a Paris Hilton look-alike who has to get past an IQ test and “a prettier, skinnier, wealthier heiress.” —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

The spots seem ripe for spoofing by employees and customers, which is exactly what Myers hopes will happen after they go to the www.Loveit-Loveit.com microsite, created by TargetScope of Plano, Texas. Visitors can suggest what arch-nemesis they would face to get their favorite treat and can forward the spots to friends to generate a viral campaign. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

The commercials are like mini-movie trailers, Myers said, designed that way to give them a long life on the Internet. —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

“That was crucial to getting behind this campaign,” Myers said. “If you develop creative only for TV or print it will only [last] for six months. This will last three to five years.” —The summer forecast is out, and the ice cream segment is expected to be hot.

Launching the Birthday Club & Gift Cards…

It all started with a simple idea, the Cold Stone Birthday Club. Give us your Birthday and a Love It size Ice Cream Creation is on us! This grew to developing a relationship with our most loyal customers. They returned the favor by sharing more about themselves at “My ColdStone” so we could sharing more reasons to visit.

Next came the 10’s of Millions of Gift Cards we sold to our most loyal customers; online, in stores and in Grocery Stores in the Gift Card Mall. > Buy Gift Cards

This growth in sales allowed Cold Stone for the first time to create commercials that ran in prime time to online. I have put those I was responsible for producing in this post. The first series was provocative to get people talking about Cold Stone (experience), the second series was to remind everyone how great their own ice cream creation would taste (the ultimate ice cream), and the last one was a viral campaign when we launched Cold Stone at Home.